Providential Peripety^[1]

Esther 6

Main Idea: Through the ordinary means of insomnia in Ahasuerus and an insatiable desire for honor in Haman, God will turn the tables on the enemy of his people, initiating Haman’s downfall and his people’s deliverance.

1. Consider the Providential Insomnia (6:1-2).
2. Consider the Providential Investigation (6:3).
3. Consider the Providential Interruption (6:4-5).
4. Consider the Providential Irony (6:6-11).
5. Consider the Providential Insult (6:12-13).
6. Consider the Providential Invitation (6:14).
7. Conclude that There Is Nothing like God’s Providence and God’s Peripety; None Is Worthier of Glorious and Glad Praise.
   1. God’s providence
   2. God’s peripety
   3. God’s praise

February 26, 2017, will be remembered in Hollywood for a long time. On that night at the Oscars, Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway had the privilege of presenting the Academy Award for Best Picture. After introducing the nominees and then some brief banter, it was time to announce the big winner. Beatty opened the envelope, seemed a little confused, and then handed it to Dunaway. She then announced La La Land, and “the musical’s cast, director, producers and crew then took the stage to accept the night’s top prize and began their thank you speeches” (Nicholas Hautman, “Oscars 2017 Best Picture Mix-Up: Everything We Know So Far, Plus What Went Wrong”). The only problem? La La Land was not the true winner.

Hautman writes,

In one of the most surprising reversals in the history of live television, headset-clad members of the Oscars crew scurried on stage to alert the La La Land team that something was wrong. The film’s producer, Jordan Horowitz, quickly grabbed the microphone and announced, “There’s been a mistake. Moonlight, you won best picture. This is not a joke.” (Ibid.)

So, what happened? How could such a mistake happen on such a large stage? It turns out there was no malice and really no mystery. Prior to walking on stage, Beatty was simply handed the wrong envelope. He was given the announcement for Best Actress in a Leading Role, which happened to be Emma Stone, who happened to star in La La Land. When Beatty opened the envelope, he knew something was not right. When he handed the envelope to Dunaway, she thought he was simply drawing the moment out. She only saw the La La Land portion of the announcement, and that is what she shared. After the chaos calmed, the cast and crew from Moonlight walked on stage and accepted the honor that rightly belonged to them. It was quite a reversal.

In Esther 6 a reversal of epic proportions is recorded as well. Haman wanted to be honored by all, especially by Mordecai, but (spoiler alert) Mordecai would be honored by all, with Haman leading the call to honor. You may have seen it coming because you are familiar with the story, but Haman never did. He experienced a bit of “that’s not what I envisioned.” He never in his wildest nightmares imagined he would be used to bring honor to the one who refused to honor him.

In Esther 6 we are also going to see that God’s timing is always perfect. God is going to save Mordecai from Haman’s foolishness. Indeed, Mordecai’s words to Esther in 4:14 prove prophetic in his own life, since help for him comes “from another place” besides Esther (unless you count her cooking, which may have contributed to the king’s insomnia). As a part of God’s preserving Mordecai, we will also see why he did not allow Mordecai to be rewarded earlier by the king when he divulged the assassination plot. As always, God’s plans and timing are for our best and are beyond what we could imagine.

Consider the Providential Insomnia

Esther 6:1-2

When we last visited our text, the king and Haman had attended a feast that Esther prepared. We thought she was going to intercede for her people, but instead she invited the king and Haman to another feast to be observed on the following day. Unbeknown to her, Haman left her feast and had another run-in with Mordecai. Then, after receiving counsel from his family and friends, Haman decided to have gallows constructed and to have Mordecai hanged on them before attending the second feast with Esther and Ahasuerus.

Since Esther did not know about Haman’s plan, she could not throw her royal robes back on, run to the king, and attempt to intervene for her cousin. Since Mordecai did not know about the plan, he was not packing his bags in the middle of the night and trying to catch the next camel caravan headed out of town. Neither of the two protagonists in our story had any clue about the peril Mordecai was in. And unlike when Mordecai was made aware of the plot to kill Ahasuerus, none of those in Haman’s camp would prove willing to break ranks and send a message to Mordecai, Esther, or the king. They were in solidarity, and Esther and Mordecai were asleep. They did not know about the danger awaiting them, much like the way I did not when I picked up a cooler by our back door late one night that a snake hid beneath.

The tension in the story of Esther reminds me of scenes from a movie in which someone is held captive and some instrument of death moves closer and closer with each passing second. If the hero does not show up, doom awaits. As the one who draws nigh to death is well aware. Mordecai, by contrast, is clueless. But you know who did know about it? God. Isn’t it interesting that while Esther and Mordecai were sleeping God was not, and he made sure he was not the only one awake.

Initially, the revelation that the king could not catch any Zs seems like an insignificant detail. After all, you may be like my wife, who says, “Sleep escapes me every night—because my spouse snores!” Maybe Ahasuerus needed a CPAP machine (I do). Maybe he had indigestion from the feast that robbed him of winks. But what seems like a run-of-the-mill detail could not be further from ordinary. The human authors of the Bible, who were under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, did not have word counts they were trying to reach for their publishers. There is no fluff in God’s Word. In narrative texts, especially, details are penned with purpose. God will use this insomnia event to be a major turning point in the story. Jobes contends,

By making the pivot point of the peripety an insignificant event rather than the point of highest dramatic tension, the author is taking the focus away from human action. Had the pivot point of the peripety been at the scene where Esther approaches the king uninvited or where Esther confronts Haman, the king and/or Esther would have been spotlighted as the actual cause of the reversal. By separating the pivot point of the peripety in Esther from the point of highest dramatic tension, the characters of the story are not spotlighted as the cause of the reversal. This reinforces the message that no one in the story, not even the most powerful person in the empire, is in control of what is about to happen. An unseen power is controlling the reversal of destiny. The Greek translation makes this implicit truth explicit with the statement, “The Lord took sleep from the king that night” (LXX of 6:1, pers. trans.). (Esther, 158)

She goes on to say, “In spite of having all the power of the Persian empire at his disposal, Haman’s carefully laid plans were turned against him simply because the king had a sleepless night” (ibid.). Haman never saw it coming, and neither did Esther or Mordecai. The only one who anticipated it was the one making sure it was happening.

What do you do when sleep escapes you? When I cannot sleep, I try different methods to produce drowsiness. Sometimes I will listen to music, hoping it will be a praise-fueled lullaby. One of my favorite albums to listen to is Chris Rice’s Peace like a River: The Hymns Project. The only problem is that because I love those tunes, I begin singing the songs instead of sleeping to them. I have been told that drinking a glass of warm milk helps. But since (1) getting the milk would involve getting out of bed, (2) I do not like warm milk, and (3) I am lactose intolerant, I have never given that suggestion a go. My best secret to falling asleep is counting LSU’s mascot Mike the Tiger’s jumping over a fence. I do not believe I have ever shared that confession before. I am not sure when I switched from sheep jumping over a fence to tigers, but this technique works for me every time. I wish I was super spiritual and could tell you that every time I am awake, I pray until the Lord’s peace calms my heart and mind (and there have been those moments), but the tigers are my default means to dozing.

We are not told how many methods Ahasuerus attempted in trying to go to sleep, but the one that is revealed is certainly a title contender. Ordering the biggest, most boring book to be read to you (monotonously would be a bonus) could cajole the best of us to rest. Frankly, the king seems a little old for a bedtime story, but God works in mysterious ways.

Consider the Providential Investigation

Esther 6:3

We are not told at what point the servant started reading in the book of records, but he eventually recounted an event we know all about that occurred five years earlier. What do you think the chances are of that just happening? I recently read about a man who was bitten by a shark, attacked by a bear, and bitten by a rattlesnake—all in less than a four-year period (and he is still alive and leaves his house daily). The odds of that combo occurring are 893.35 quadrillion to one (Leahy, “Man Bitten by Shark, Bear, and Snake”). The odds of Ahasuerus “just happening” to have the record of Mordecai’s actions read to him have got to be close to that range. But when God is factored into an equation, all percentages change! There was a 100 percent certainty Ahasuerus would hear whatever God wanted him to hear.

When the memory of being saved from assassination was brought to Ahasuerus’s mind, he was no longer sleepy but stirred. It is as if a lightbulb turned on in his brain about what a big moment that was. One reason he was able to be awake at all was because Mordecai had helped him stay alive. When further inquiry was done, Ahasuerus realized Mordecai had never been recognized for his service.

What is the longest you have gone between doing something significant and being recognized for it publicly? Maybe you cut your neighbor’s grass, and she still has not thanked you. Maybe you have done carpool for a sports team all year long, but none of the other parents have expressed any gratitude. Sometimes people can even do something heroic like thwarting an ambush and saving a fellow soldier from being captured, like Sgt. Salvatore Giunta did in 2007, but not be recognized for their efforts until years later (Shaughnessy, “Medal of Honor”). After five years Mordecai probably had not forgotten that he was not rewarded for helping save the king’s life, but likely he had not given up hope of being recognized either. God oversees not just eternal rewards but also earthly recompenses and recognitions. In his sovereignty God made sure what had been ignored previously was addressed on this particular night.

Consider the Providential Interruption

Esther 6:4-5

The author does not tell us how long the book of record was read, but at the exact moment Ahasuerus realized nothing had been done for Mordecai, Haman was walking in to ask permission to kill him. Talk about timing. Talk about divine timing. Had Haman slept at all that night? Had his eagerness fueled an early dawn arrival to the palace? Wouldn’t it be interesting if the construction of Haman’s gallows made enough racket that it contributed to Ahasuerus’s inability to sleep? Regardless, Haman’s eagerness can be used for examination of our lives. What do we pursue with anticipation and haste? Do we ever pursue God in this way? Are we ever guilty of being like Haman and eagerly and hastily pursuing the detriment of those who like us the least? Do we eagerly and hastily pursue sin? Unfortunately for Haman, his “plans [were] about to run head on into the providence of God” (Bush, Ruth/Esther, 418).

Did Ahasuerus ask who was in the court because he heard the ding of his security system letting him know a door had been opened? Or was the king asking who was in the court because he needed counsel? Duguid argues, “For all his impulsiveness, the king is helpless without his advisors. He counts on them constantly to tell him what to do” (Esther and Ruth, 76). The only one mentioned as being in the outer court was Haman who, though he wanted to take a life, was not about to rush into the king’s presence without permission and lose his.

First Haman was summoned, and then he was surprised. Have you ever had something you wanted to ask someone, only to find that their initial engagement with you in conversation is so unexpected that you never get around to why you approached them in the first place? Haman was determined, but then he got distracted, unsurprisingly, at the thought of being honored by all.

Consider the Providential Irony

Esther 6:6-11

Haman was so prideful that there was no room in his mind for anyone other than himself to be the object of Ahasuerus’s honor. He was narcissistic and foolish. Jason Meyer warns,

As finite creatures, we cannot fully grasp God’s infinite revulsion against pride’s rebellion. God hates pride. What makes pride so singularly repulsive to God is the way that pride “contends for supremacy” with God himself. Pride sets itself in opposition to God. The only fitting response is for God to oppose the proud (Jas 4:6; 1 Pet 5:5). That is probably why pride is not simply another sin among many, but a sin in a category of its own. Other sins lead the sinner further away from God, but pride is particularly heinous in that it attempts to elevate the sinner above God. (“Pride,” 9; emphasis in original)

I hope we, in our relationship with the King of kings, are never like Haman in thinking, Of course he wants to honor me. I am really important. He needs me. I am great. First of all, the only indispensable one is God. We are born, we serve for a time, and then we die. But “from eternity to eternity” (Ps 90:2), he is God. Second, we certainly can’t earn honor from the Lord or assume he owes us. After all, Jesus says, “When you have done all that you were commanded, you should say, ‘We are worthless servants; we’ve only done our duty’” (Luke 17:10). Third, we should always be amazed by God’s goodness to us and not desensitized to it. May we never stop asking, “God, why are you so good to us when we are often so bad?” Meyer contends the antidote for our pride is to think more on God: “The rivers of self-forgetfulness flow down from the Godward heights of worship. . . . He, and he alone, is worthy of all worship and praise” (ibid., 18). There was no self-forgetfulness in Haman, and he was convinced he was worthy to be honored and praised.

Haman’s reply regarding what should be done for the one the king wanted to honor revealed that it was not the first time Haman had considered the topic. Like a child who has his list ready to give to Santa at the local mall, Haman did not need to conduct any research before giving his answer. In fact, it rolled right out of his mind and mouth. We can certainly deduce what he lay awake at night thinking about! And his thoughts of personal exaltation were grand: a horse wearing a crown! His craving for honor and significance was such a drive and passion in his life that everything else would immediately be set to the side for it—even killing an enemy.

What or whom do you desire more than anything or anyone else? What takes priority over everything and everyone in your life? What is it that, given the opportunity, you’d drop everything to pursue? There is only one pursuit worthy of such passion and priority, but, unfortunately, we are too often ensnared and enslaved by lesser pursuits to acknowledge him faithfully. Let me ask the question one more time but in a different way: For Haman, the desire for glory and honor was apparent, but if God were to completely turn you over to depraved pursuits, what would most likely ensnare and destroy you first? As we have noted, without God’s grace we are all Haman seeking only what cannot satisfy and what is to our detriment. We should, then, see Haman in this text and be absolutely terrified and beg God to save us from ourselves. Ask him to empower your true and consistent repentance from whatever sin repeatedly entices you. May he empower you to confess it to someone else for accountability and to help you make no provision for it in your life.

As with every plan proposed thus far in the book of Esther, the one receiving a recommendation was pleased by it. Can you imagine laying out so many specific details to express something you desired so passionately, only to then be commanded not just to let the person you dislike the most on the entire planet fully experience what you have longed for, but to lead them through it? For those of us who are striving to love our neighbors as ourselves, maybe it is not totally startling. What we want for ourselves we should also want for others. But if we are of the tribe that buys name-brand treats for its own pantry but generic brands for the church VBS, then we are probably horrified at what is transpiring, and we need to do a lot of study on the word as. The only person in Susa, however, who could be more surprised than Haman would be Mordecai.

My wife once had someone call her cell phone and tell her she had won a particular sweepstakes. The caller said he was on his way to our home to deliver our new 2015 minivan. Everything sounded great, except for the fact that we were living in 2017. And of course, the caller wanted to deposit the prize money she’d won directly into our bank. All he needed was our account number. As I got on the phone and began to ask questions, I was transferred to a manager (meaning one person in on the scheme handed the phone to another person in on the scheme). He did his best to convince me of the legitimacy of our victory, but I knew it was a sham, and he knew I knew. Eventually, he hung up on me, and strangely, that 2015 minivan that was on its way to our home (“a pretty blue color, sir”) never showed up. Mordecai’s sweepstakes win, however, was no sham.

What do you think it was like for both men when Haman approached the King’s Gate seeking Mordecai with horses and one of the king’s robes? I’m guessing Mordecai probably felt like most people did when Zacchaeus or Saul knocked on their doors prior to their conversions. I would not blame him at all if he tried to slink away. Maybe, though, Haman was immediately clear that his intention was for Mordecai’s good. However it transpired, both men likely felt the events seemed surreal. And I am sure Haman and Mordecai were not the only ones who were in disbelief over what was happening.

Try to picture what the crew at the King’s Gate was thinking as they saw and heard Haman declare the king’s delight in honoring Mordecai. What a transformation! Instead of sackcloth Mordecai was wearing royal robes. Instead of crying through the city, Mordecai was led through the city with Haman crying out for all to honor him.

Consider the Providential Insult

Esther 6:12-13

After the city-square honor tour, Mordecai returned to work, but Haman had a different reaction. Specifically, the author describes Haman’s hurry, mourning, and destination. It had not been long since Haman made haste to petition the king for Mordecai’s death, but after his bad morning, his haste was homeward. The one who caused so many Jews to grieve over their possible elimination was suddenly mourning over his humiliation and Mordecai’s exaltation.

When we seek to be honored rather than being honorable or rather than giving honor to the Lord, then we should not be surprised when God grants us humility rather than honor. At some point we have to believe and live it out.

• James 4:6: “But he gives greater grace. Therefore he says: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
• James 4:10: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”
• Psalm 18:27: “For you rescue an oppressed people, but you humble those with haughty eyes.”
• Psalm 25:9: “He leads the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.”
• Psalm 149:4: “For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.”
• Romans 12:10: “Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters. Outdo one another in showing honor.”

Note that Paul does not say, “Outdo one another in seeking honor,” but “Outdo one another in showing honor.”

In seeking unmitigated personal honor, Haman found ultimate humiliation. And that was not the worst of his problems. To lose our station or position in life is one thing, but to lose our lives eternally is another. For Haman, then, things were about to get a lot worse. As Duguid notes, “Even Haman’s friends are not so dense as to write off this day’s events as mere coincidence. . . . Haman will now surely fall to destruction” (Esther & Ruth, 79). In a matter of hours, Haman’s confidants have switched from advocating for Mordecai’s doom to acknowledging Haman’s. They may not be so foolish after all.

Consider the Providential Invitation

Esther 6:14

Do you think Haman forgot he had been invited to a second feast with Esther and Ahasuerus when he headed home in such a hurry? Do you think he hoped they’d forget? In any case there was not an opportunity to ponder the words of his wife and friends for long. While Haman had been proclaiming Mordecai’s honor, Esther had been preparing food. There is no doubt his head was spinning at all that had taken place, and in light of the reversal, Duguid offers a helpful warning: “Our fall could be just as sudden and as inescapable as Haman’s, taking us from our present comforts to face a holy God in an instant. Are we ready for such an encounter?” (ibid., 82).

My cousin Mike was buried yesterday in West Colombia, Texas. He had congestive heart failure one night, and we received the phone call the next morning informing us of his death. In Vietnam he earned two purple hearts and a bronze star. In his later years he helped coach and shepherd troubled teens. But as he was taken to eternity, none of those accomplishments merited eternal life. His faith in Christ, which I pray was real and genuine, is the one and only hope he had. The same could be said for all of us.

None of Haman’s plans had involved honoring Mordecai, and he certainly did not plan on being hanged on the very gallows he constructed. Life comes at us fast, but eternity even faster. The problem for many in our world is that death is not something for which they are prepared or are preparing. What Haman was most concerned about was not, in reality, most important. He bought into the lie that many fall for in our day—that life is all about making our own names great and being honored. But as he most likely is well aware of at this moment, life is not about our gaining honor but our giving honor, especially to the one to whom highest honor is due. The world does not revolve around us, but it does revolve just as the Lord tells it to because he is the center of all things. We should join with the psalmist who beckons us to . . .

Sing a new song to the Lord;

let the whole earth sing to the Lord.

Sing to the Lord, bless his name;

proclaim his salvation from day to day.

Declare his glory among the nations,

his wondrous works among all peoples.

For the Lord is great and is highly praised;

he is feared above all gods.

For all the gods of the peoples are idols,

but the Lord made the heavens.

Splendor and majesty are before him;

strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples,

ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name;

bring an offering and enter his courts.

Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness;

let the whole earth tremble before him.

Say among the nations: “The Lord reigns.

The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken.

He judges the peoples fairly.”

Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;

let the sea and all that fills it resound.

Let the fields and everything in them celebrate.

Then all the trees of the forest will shout for joy

before the Lord, for he is coming—

for he is coming to judge the earth.

He will judge the world with righteousness

and the peoples with his faithfulness. (Ps 96)

Conclude that There Is Nothing like God’s Providence and God’s Peripety; None Is Worthier of Glorious and Glad Praise

God’s Providence

Did you notice in 6:1-14 that the only mention of Esther was in regard to the second feast she prepared? Did you also notice that what Mordecai experienced was not the result of some grand plan he designed or something he was working to achieve? So, if Esther was not leading the charge and Mordecai was not calling for change, who was in control? You know the answer, don’t you? Prime asserts, “When it seems God is not active, he may be most at work. He may be most present when he seems most hidden” (Unspoken Lessons, 103). God always has perfect timing. While Esther and Mordecai were sleeping, God was working. How many things does the Lord do for us while we rest at night? Probably the same amount of things he does for us when we are awake but unaware. Esther 6 is such a great reminder that he is God and we are not. Jobes notes,

Our God is so great, so powerful, that he can work without miracles through the ordinary events of billions of human lives through millennia of time to accomplish his eternal purposes and ancient promises. God delivered an entire race of people in Persia because the king had a sleepless night, because a man would not bow to his superior, because a woman found herself taken to the bedroom of a ruthless man for a night of pleasure. How inscrutable are the ways of the Lord! (Esther, 159)

God’s Peripety

For those of us who grew up going to youth camps in the late nineties or working in them soon after, there is probably a good chance we have either performed or seen “The Champion” skit set to Carmen’s song no less than a thousand times. I exaggerate, but only slightly. For years this skit was a staple option for youth groups hoping to be in the weekly camp variety show or who needed a dramatic presentation in the yearly Youth Night Service at a local church. Despite its overuse my favorite part of the song/skit never fails to move me each time I hear or see it. At what seems to be an incredible moment of defeat for Christ, his body is laid in a tomb. At this point a countdown is initiated beginning with the number ten. As the countdown decreases toward zero, the audience hears the panicked questions and anxiety from a voice representing Satan. His “victory” is short-lived as Christ triumphantly rises from death and renders it defeated. All this is marked in the song/skit with crescendo and celebration (and for those churches with fancy budgets, even special lighting).

Of course, the best we have to offer in way of portraying this monumental event in the history of the world and redemption pales in comparison to the actual resurrection of Christ. What a breathtaking moment indeed! All hope seemed lost. Satan, no doubt, was convinced that though he had failed to wipe out the messianic line, he had done something even greater and taken out the Messiah. Little did he know or understand that all of his schemes were simply accomplishing God’s providential plan to save a people for his own name’s sake. There is no greater reversal. Both Satan’s and death’s celebrations quickly turned to eternal defeat as Christ our Victor crushed the grave and rose victoriously. The irony is palpitating.

In Susa, as at the cross, the whole time Satan is carrying out the plans he believes will guarantee his dominion, he is ultimately contributing to his own destruction. Nothing went as Satan’s minion Haman planned it or thought it would turn out but exactly as the Lord planned all along.

God’s Praise

In Richie Duchon’s article about an embarrassing pageant incident, he says, “I have to apologize. Those are the words Miss Universe host Steve Harvey was forced to utter—and may regret for years to come—after mistakenly crowning Miss Colombia . . . as the winner” of the Miss Universe pageant in 2015 (“Host Steve Harvey Botches”). Not unlike what would occur at the Oscars two years later, the wrong person was announced as the winner. Unlike Beatty and Dunaway, though, Harvey had left the stage and had to come back out to right the wrong. Also, unlike Beatty and Dunaway, Harvey had the right card but did not read the right name. To his credit, he owned up to his mistake. But that did not make it any less awkward when the crown was taken off of the head of Miss Colombia and put on that of Miss Philippines.

As we consider all the reversals in the book of Esther, I want to end this particular discussion by assuring you that Christ’s crown will never be removed and his victory will never be reversed. Paul writes to the church at Corinth,

Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, when he abolishes all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign until he puts all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be abolished is death. For God has put everything under his feet. Now when it says “everything” is put under him, it is obvious that he who puts everything under him is the exception. When everything is subject to Christ, then the Son himself will also be subject to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all. (1 Cor 15:24-28)

Jesus reigns over all rule, all authority, and all power. He will one day abolish death forever. The only reversal coming is when sin’s curse and the effects of the fall are forever removed and the new heaven and new earth are revealed. All of this will be done so that God may be all in all. When every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus is Lord, it will be “to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:11).

Because Christ is our Victor forever, we can know as well that his promises to us will never be reversed. As Jesus told a crowd one day in the temple,

My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one. (John 10:27-30)

As Jesus once told an anxious father, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe” (Mark 5:36). Even when you cannot see him, hear him, or feel him, God is alive, awake, and accomplishing his purposes for your good and his glory.

Reflect and Discuss

1. Why is Esther 6 more about what God is doing than what Esther and Mordecai are doing? What can we learn or be reminded of about God from studying the chapter?
2. Why do we tend to doubt the Lord’s perfect timing? Describe a time when you doubted the Lord’s right timing only to be proven wrong.
3. How can we wait on the Lord joyfully rather than anxiously or angrily?
4. What are you currently pursuing with eagerness and haste? Would you say your life is more characterized by the pursuit of sin or a pursuit of Christ? Explain.
5. Have you, like Haman, ever eagerly and hastily pursued the detriment of someone else? How can the gospel help you keep this from occurring in the future?
6. Haman’s desire for glory and honor is apparent. If God were to completely turn you over to depraved pursuits, what would ensnare and destroy you? What do you long for more than anything else?
7. We are often warned in the Bible to humble ourselves before the Lord, so why don’t we consistently heed these exhortations? Why should we humble ourselves before the Lord?
8. Haman’s fall happened so quickly in the text. Why should we remind ourselves often that in the blink of an eye we can be ushered into eternity and stand before the holy God?
9. Make a list of those you know who are not yet prepared to stand in the Lord’s presence and give an account. How will you share the gospel with each of those people this week?
10. There is no one the Father wants to honor more than the Son. Why should we be just as eager to offer honor to Christ rather than seeking it for ourselves?